1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a round bale cutter with an improved reciprocating blade cutter for efficiently cutting large round hay bales into manageable quantities of hay which can be more easily fed to and consumed by feeding livestock.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, hay for feeding livestock was cut and baled into relatively small, rectangularly shaped hay bales which were usually stored indoors in barns or other storage buildings. When the hay was needed for feeding cattle, a desired number of these small hay bales were removed from storage, brought to the livestock and broken open for feeding.
This method of storing hay in small bales has been largely replaced by the use of large round bales weighing upwards of 2000 lbs each. Often these round bales are simply left in the field and are moved only as they are needed for feeding. A problem with such large bales is that, in relatively small livestock operations, the entire bale may not be needed for feed at any one time. Even in larger farming operations, a single bale may be sufficient to feed livestock in more than one location. Thus, these bales cannot simply be carried to the livestock and broken open as were the small rectangular bales in the past.
Generally, two feeding methods have developed for feeding round bales to livestock. In a first method, the bales are placed in fixed round bale feeders which are designed to give the livestock feeding access to the bale, but which protect the bale from being trampled or otherwise destroyed by the feeding livestock. With such a round bale feeder, the bale can remain in place for extended periods to feed surrounding livestock.
In a second method, an apparatus is used which cuts the round bale into manageable portions and distributes the cut hay along the ground or into feeding bins for livestock to reach. For specialized feeding operations, such as for dairy cattle, for example, the hay must generally be cut into short strands to be mixed with additives and other feed ingredients to promote optimum milk production. For feeding range cattle, on the other hand, the hay can be cut into longer strands and fed directly to the cattle. It is this latter use to which the current invention is directed.
One prior art apparatus for chopping round hay bales is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,426 to White. A tub tilted to an angle of 35.degree. to 50.degree. from horizontal is rotated past a number of rows of conventional sickle cutters. A round hay bale contained in the tub is cut by the sickle cutters as the tub is rotated. This round bale chopper is designed particularly for short strand cutting since the rate at which the bale is fed to the cutters can be precisely controlled.
The White apparatus and similar tilted tub choppers are complex and expensive pieces of machinery which are unnecessary for the cutting of round bales into longer strands of hay for feeding range cattle or the like, as explained above. Furthermore, these and other round bale cutters have employed conventional sickle bar cutters which were originally designed for use in cutting standing crops. These conventional sickle bar cutters achieve marginal performance when attempting to cut something as dense as a round hay bale, since the sickle bar blade guide interferes with the complete and rapid introduction of the hay bale perimeter into the cutting teeth.
It is clear then, that a need exists for a relatively simple and efficient machine for chopping round hay bales into manageable hay strands for feeding livestock. Such a machine should be capable of rapidly chopping a large round bale into strands of hay, but should be simpler and less expensive than known tilted tub choppers. Such a machine should preferably include an improved sickle bar cutter for increased efficiency and improved throughput of hay bales.